MY LIFE IN RUGBY
THE FORMER IRELAND U20 AND, HARLEQUINS SCRUM-HALF NOW AT UTAH WARRIORS
NIALL SAUNDERS

In early 2017, I was told by the best doctors in the world the worst possible news; my lifelong dream of being a professional rugby player was over. Since the age of two I battled with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, a rare and severe blood disorder, and as a 19-year-old I was told it would prevent me from ever playing rugby again.
I was diagnosed with ITP, which means I don’t clot blood very well, at a young age. All it would take for me to not get back up again would be a nasty head...